Insane Japanese Shooter Ikaruga Explodes Onto Google Play

Before the holidays, Ikaruga launched on Google Play in Japan. But now, just a month later from the Japanese release, the rest of the world gets to slog through bullet-hell as well because Ikaruga is now available on Google Play.

If you haven't played it, Ikaruga is one of the hardest games you can put yourself through. For those of us who have played it, we know that Ikaruga's reputation is well deserved, as it is easily one of the hardest arcade shooters ever made. At times, it's almost sadistic in how trying it can be on your reflex and memory skills.

Aside from the crazy difficulty, the thing that really made Ikaruga stand out was the ability to flip back and forth between two colored states. With this polarity system, you could alter your color at will, from red to blue, which would in turn affect what you were vulnerable to and what you could damage. If an enemy ship was blue, you want to make sure that your polarity was red in order to damage them. This switching back and forth mechanic, while simple, is so expertly used that it makes the game incredibly challenging.

Think you got what it takes to take on Ikaruga? You can nab it now on Google Play for $9.00. No word yet on an iOS release.